Hinwil, 16th December 2011 – The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce the impending arrival of Christmas.

In true festive spirit, Technical Director James Key has overseen the construction of a carbon-fibre Advent wreath and bonded it to the 17-metre-high ceiling of the wind tunnel building using a pushrod-actuated wishbone construction.

The wreath has a closed circuit design and weighs 640 kilograms (not including candles). Made from high-density beeswax, the candles are kept aspirated off-throttle to ensure optimum flame development.

“The circular form of the wreath conforms strictly with Christmas regulations to ensure there aren’t any of those seasonal arguments,” explains CEO Monisha Kaltenborn.

Team Principal Peter Sauber adds: “The wreath’s impressive performance really comes into its own on Sundays, when we need it most. Further development stages will follow in the run-up to Christmas Eve.”

The team’s new high-speed sled (aka the Sauber C31-Ferrari) is due to be unwrapped in Jerez on 6th February 2012.